Zayl turned back to the mob.
- Connin was burned to the ground. By Mebruan sorcerers. That's all you need to know.- The swirls of magic still could be seen around Zayl's arm. He was prepared to summon his sword, in case the mob decides to do something foolish.
____________
Lithuanian folklore:
The Good and the Evil grab a few beers and go to watch how the neighbor's house is burning down.
* * *
"Ashan to the Trashcan", "I got PTSD from H7. " - LizardWarrior

Amanda entered the lord's keep. The entry hall was decorated with animal skins, jewelry, some exquisite dishes, with a large chandelier hanging from the ceiling and some expensive furniture as well. Amanda looked around, thinking the lord must've paid well to transport all of this to this remote island. There were some soldiers posted, eyeing Amanda, as if she wanted to rob them all.

The captain and Amanda stopped and bowed to the lord, who stood up from the throne. The old lord had a long grey moustache, approximately 60 years. He was dressed in some regal purple-gold clothing, black boots and brown gloves. The lord also had a longsword, which had the symbol of Karston engraved at the hilt of the blade. Amanda also noticed a scar on the right side of his neck, thinking the lord must've battled in some rough fights.

"Welcome to Vint Rock, soldiers. I am Lord Dwight; what business do you seek here?"
The captain took a step forward. "Greetings, Lord Dwight. I am Thomas, and this is Amanda." Amanda bowed down and realized she hasn't asked for her captain's name before.
"It is an honor to meet you, sir. However, time is of a short essence." the captain continued on.
"The island of Svad is under crisis. The Karston town of Connin has been razed to the ground. The general needs help in fighting the Mebruan army, hence the captain and I have been sent on this mission to ask for support." Amanda explained to the lord the situation.
The lord frowned. "The war with Mebruans has costed a lot of people's lives and money itself. In my years, you may want to see that any war is absurd, just a fight between ideologies, where human lives are put at stake."

Amanda lowers her head, seeing the Lord is right. Why is this fighting necessary, anyway? Amanda thinks the island of Svad could populate both Karston and Mebruan people. Even if she is a member of the army, Amanda thinks she should be protecting lives, rather than slaying people, who also obey their own king, or queen.

"It is certain the war will not end easily. Who knows, if the war continues on, there may be more incidents like Connin. *sigh* I will prepare a contract for the officials to sign, then the people of the island will supply you with equipment, food and soldiers." the Lord snaps the finger to one of his servants, who takes out a piece of paper. The Lord, after several minutes, has written the contract. Apparently, the Lord wishes, in return for giving away the resources, some control of the trading companies, as well as some more resources to improve the island.

"Sounds like the lord wishes to declare independence from Karston." Amanda thought to herself.

All this while Missy walked with Narsila staying as close to her as possible. She had never seen so many people at once and to her dismay it made both excited and uncomfortable at the same time.
____________
geny is a meanie - fred79

"I don't think that was very wise, the crowd was already scared of something supernatural..." Titus said tacitly, almost trying to avoid being heared by Zayl.
____________
PLVTOCRATIC AND REACTIONARY DEMOCRACIES OF THE WEST

Upon hearing what Zayl said, the peasant fainted. The rest started panicking, many of them running off to who-knows-where.

"Let's take this discussion to a quiet place", Gulston said, "These are military matters, not something we should be discussing in the streets."

After a few minutes of chaos in front of the keep, the guard arrives and with him some backup to chase the mob away. "Proceed inside", he said, "The captain is anxiously waiting for your report".
____________

Zayl and the group reached the captain's quarters.
- We have news of Connin- Zayl began. - Now... Where do we begin..? Ah yes. The entire town was burned to the ground, the only surviving building was your recruitment office. And the documents, that the meatheads failed to transfer over with the troops. Another thing. There were no signs of conflict anywhere. No bodies either. We found some washed ashore, but they bore no signs of restraining or violence. We have concluded, that Connin was destroyed by it's own residents, which proceeded to swim out to the sea and drown themselves. All under the control of a powerful coven of soulmancy adepts.
____________
Lithuanian folklore:
The Good and the Evil grab a few beers and go to watch how the neighbor's house is burning down.
* * *
"Ashan to the Trashcan", "I got PTSD from H7. " - LizardWarrior

The captain jumped out of his chair.
"Are you certain of this?!" he exclaimed, "What kind of evidence do you have?! This is simply impossible, this is not what we were expecting!"

"You'd better believe it", Gulston said, "There's nothing in the town that would tell us of the enemies, these are our speculations; however, in times like these, we must be rational. Who else can do such things if not soulmancers?"

The captain started nervously circling around the room.
"Yes, yes, who? Who can do such things?" he kept repeating for a few moments.

"Captain, there's something else we've found there", Gulston said as he took the registration paper with the enigmatic Lletha Suth's info.

The captain quickly grabbed the paper and read it.
"Hah, of course! They were one step ahead of us. This changes everything..."

"The interesting part is that this is the last registration that was done before... you know", Gulston added.

"Damned Mabruans!" he cursed, "We'll get them for this! Speaking of which, we are going to start our offensive very soon. Head over to the offices below to recieve new orders. I'll get to my duties now."

"There's also the matter of our payment", Gulston said.

The captain took a pair of pouches and put them on the table. They made a distinct clanking sound.
"Here you are", he said in an obviously annoyed tone, "Now leave me to my work."

Gulston grabbed a pouch and walked out of the captain's office with a wide smile on his face. "Seems we've got more work on our hands. Let's visit the offices below. The captain mentioned an offensive underway", he said to the group waiting outside.
____________

"Here." the captain signed the contract. He was quite annoyed, most likely because he made promises his superiors may not want to abide.
"Thank you. Was there something else you wanted?" the lord asked.
"Can we borrow a small boat? There is something we need to do at the island south of here."
The lord's eyes grew. "What do you want there? It is deserted, only strange tales go around the island."
"It is important that we go there. We are to meet an acquaintance, so to speak." Amanda replied.
"It sounds suspicious. You will have to take some soldiers as well." the lord noted, as he rubbed his fingers through his moustache.

The captain and Amanda came out of the keep.
"So, I guess the soldiers will have to wait in the boat, as we go to face Sylvia?" Amanda hopes the captain has a plan.
"It looks that way. Let me try talking to her, while you hide somewhere. I just hope there is nothing on the island that can disrupt the meeting."

Titus went towards Gulston and said:
"Wait, your companion mentioned sorcery as the culprit of the downfall of Connin, how come they were unprepared for that?"
____________
PLVTOCRATIC AND REACTIONARY DEMOCRACIES OF THE WEST

- Because the king has a bunch of imbeciles for his advisors.- Zayl overheard the priests question directed to Gulston. - But that is just our opinion. - He added, climbing down the stairs, to reach another officer for his orders.
____________
Lithuanian folklore:
The Good and the Evil grab a few beers and go to watch how the neighbor's house is burning down.
* * *
"Ashan to the Trashcan", "I got PTSD from H7. " - LizardWarrior

It was 7 PM when the captain, Amanda and three soldiers sailed with a small boat towards the southern island. It wasn't long until they came to the shore.

"Let's tie the boat over by that rock." the captain grabbed the rope and tied it, so only a strong wave would make the rope slip off.

The group went up on a path to the center of the island. Amanda felt a bit scared, since there was not a single sound on the island, besides their footsteps and the sound of waves crashing. Just as they saw a straight field, the soldiers and Amanda stayed behind, as the captain went on.

After a few minutes, a black portal opened, as Sylvia arrived to the scene.
"So you have arrived. It shouldn't come as a big surprise, though." Sylvia replied.
"Where are my men, first?" the captain frowned.
"Oh, but I was hoping Amanda would be here. So, where is she? I need her first."
"She couldn't make it. We got attacked by Mebruans and she was wounded in the attack." the captain explained the facts, which are actually true.
"I thought you'd be a better liar than this, officer."

"So, now that all that is out of the way, what can you tell me of these soulmancers? Soulmancy is a specialty of mine and I would be thrilled to assist you in this.", Lucy said following Gulston.
____________
"Don't resist the force. Redirect it. Water over rock."-blizzardboy

"They must be extremely powerful and numerous. That's all I can say since we found no trace of them in Connin", Gulston replied, "Pulling off an attack without casualties is quite a feat."

The lower offices were teeming with mercenaries and clerks going about their duties. Gulston approached one of the desks with a young officer behind it.
"Greetings, we are here to inquire about any missions you might have", Gulston said.
"A group of mercenaries?" the officer noticed, "Very well, you'll do, I think. How well can you handle indirect approaches to war?"
"Well enough. What will it be? Eavesdropping on the enemy? Intercepting supply deliveries?"
"Infiltrating a fort and killing it's commander, then locking the gates so no one escapes until our army arrives", the officer quicly replied.
Gulton raised his eyebrow.
"We have encountered an enemy mercenary squad who were assigned to that fort, and we've captured them. You will take their place and enter unhindered. Your task is fairly simple, as long as you don't draw too much attention to yourself. Once the commander is dead, make your way to the gate mechanism and lock the enemy inside", the officer said and handed over a folded piece of paper, "This is what you'll show the guards when you arrive. Don't lose it! You will depart from our stables on a carrige in the evening, travel through the night and arrive near the fort in the morning. Our army should be there the day after. Any questions?"
"None", Gulston said.
"Very good. Dismissed", the officer said as he stood up. He exited the office and vanished somewhere.

Gulston turned towards the group.
"You've heard the man. Finish what you've planned and let's meet up at the stables later."
____________

Zayl took out one of the medallion he looted from their attackers.
- We should get this appraised first. Though I doubt we'll get anything useful from the fences. The combination of these symbols is very unusual indeed. An eye, a septagram and ouroboros. most are commonly associated with various branches of magic, but never as a single ensemble.

____________
Lithuanian folklore:
The Good and the Evil grab a few beers and go to watch how the neighbor's house is burning down.
* * *
"Ashan to the Trashcan", "I got PTSD from H7. " - LizardWarrior

"Where is she?" Sylvia yelled out. "I know that you could've simply healed her, as it was done in Bazentown."
"Her injuries were too grave..:" the captain tried to make excuses.

Suddenly, Amanda comes to the battlefield. The captain gasped, while Sylvia smiled. "So you are here. Good. As part of the deal, here are your troops."

Sylvia opens the three portals, from which Logan, Vladik and Aster come out. However, they look different, as their eyes seem empty and their faces quite pale and are walking around.

"What did you do to them?" the captain was furious.
"I did the part of the bargain. The girl is here, and here are your troops. I did not say the troops will be intact, though, as the Void Magic has changed them."
The captain gritted his teeth in frustration.

"As for you, you will pay thousand times more than you know." Sylvia turns to Amanda and conjures a portal, which devours Amanda.
"No!" the captain yelled. However, Sylvia did not seem to be amused.
"I do not feel any changes. At least, when I took control of these three men, I felt more powerful, but not this time."
"That's because you devoured a shadow!" Amanda shouts, leaps out of a bush and casts fireball.
"I should've known that you'd copy my strategy back at Svad." Sylvia conjures another portal, which causes the fireball to miss and hit the captain instead. However, Amanda wastes no more time and summons a Grass Blade and throws it above Sylvia.

"I thought you'd do much better than to miss." Sylvia grinned at this failure.
"Who said anything about missing?" Amanda launches another fireball up in the air, which hits the branch above Sylvia. The large branch falls down and crushes Sylvia, who is immobilized.

Titus bade farewell to the group, knowing he wasn't involved in this affair, and neither had obligations towards them.

While he was returning to his makeshift shrine he pondered the situation at hand, and certainly he felt uneasy at the prospect of mages wielding soulmancy to this extent.

Once he returned to the shrine he meditated for an hour, however, he felt that the barn wasn't the place he had to stay in, especially if the enemy had the power to destroy entire villages and kill hundreds of innocents without moving an army.

And so he packed his possessions, and went to the stables, he already regretted not offering his services earlier.
____________
PLVTOCRATIC AND REACTIONARY DEMOCRACIES OF THE WEST

After asking around the keep, the group was pointed towards an appraiser who dwelt in the underground levels.
Going through the dank and poorly lit corridors, Gulston arrived at a wooden door with 'Jabosh the Appraiser' engraved on them.
Behind the door was a small room, neat and tidy. A fireplace lit it and kept it warm. Just next to the fireplace sat an old, bald man with an eyepatch on his left eye; he was writing something down in a journal of sorts. Without even lifting his head he said: "Come in, come in! It's not often that I recieve visitors these days." He chuckled.
"Sir... Jabosh", Gulston said, "we've come to ask of your-"
"Services. Yes, it is very obvious. Why else would someone visit here anyway? Let me see what you've brought me."

Gulston gave Jabosh the medallion. The old man stood up and went over to his desk and put it on a glass pedestal.
"Tell me, where did you find this?"
"We were attacked by a trio of masked men. They posed no threat to us, and upon inspecting them, we found these things", Gulston replied.
"These symbols are tied to cultists, worshippers of certain deities that are not divine and holy. If you'll give me a moment... "
Jabosh turned around and searched through books on a wide bookcase, spaning from one end of the room to the other. After a couple of moments he took a book, opened it and placed it on the desk. He took a candlestick and moved it closer to illuminate the pages. On the open pages was depicted a hideous creature with a wormlike shape, myriad eyes and jagged shell.
"This is Faiit-os", Jabosh said, "one of the more known undergods. Spawn of Dobanzul, some say. The heptagram is a symbol of various magic sects, but there is no definite meaning behind it. The eye is a common element in engravings, but this one represents the vigilance of Faiit-os. The ouroboros, however, is a symbol of Zhardir, the god of time and magic. This is a conflicting depiction of a cult of sorts. I'd like to study it further, if you have no problem with that."
Gulston nodded.
"Good", Jabosh excalimed, "My services will cost you around fifty coins. You can pay half now, and half when you return."
Gulston reached into his coinpurse and counted twenty-five coins which he placed on Jabosh's desk. "I want to know all there is to know about this medallion by the time I come back, else you won't be seeing any more coins."
The old man just chuckled.

"I think we're done here for now", Gulston said to Zayl, "Let's go grab a meal and get ready for the mission."
____________

Amanda walks to Sylvia, who is knocked down by the tree.
"How did you make the illusion, anyway?" Sylvia asked.
"The scrolls on the enemy ship. One of them had such spell scrolls." Amanda replied and went through her backpack to find something.

"I still have a secret ace under my sleeve!" Sylvia concentrated a bit and took control of Vladik, Logan and Aster, who ran to attack Amanda. Fortunately, the three guards knocked them down and subdued them.

"You have no more power over here, my *dear* Sylvia." Amanda uses another scroll, which puts Sylvia to sleep. The captain helped Amanda remove the tree.
The captain placed some cuffs onto Sylvia's hands. "This stops her from casting any spells. A useful item to deal with some spellcasting criminals, I say." the captain pulled the sleeping Sylvia up.

Everyone went to the boat and sailed off. It wasn't long before they heard some strange noises coming from the island.

"Must be why the lord warned us there was some danger on the island."
"And I certainly do not want to find out." Amanda replied to the captain, as the boat sailed away.
____________Come and visit the Might and Magic Wikia!